Bhubaneswar, 5/03/2019:World’s biggest mineral, mining & manufacturing Conference & Exhibition – Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC 2019) is being held at Toronto, Canada from 3rd to 6th March. Representatives from 135 countries including India are participating in this premier mineral exploration and mining convention. Shri Anil Mukim, IAS, Secretary to the Govt. of India, Ministry of Mines is leading the Indian delegation, comprising representatives from various Ministries including Mines, Steel, Coal and State Governments, as well as CPSUs including NALCO, CIL, NMDC, SAIL, HCL & MECL.
At the convention, on the occasion of India Day celebration held today, Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD, NALCO, delivered a high-spirited presentation on Indian Aluminium Industry before the global audience. Giving business insights on growth potential of Aluminium as the metal of the future, Dr. Chand highlighted on the world class facilities being offered by Odisha’s Angul Aluminium Park (AAI) & invited the potential investors, technology suppliers & equipment manufacturers to Odisha. Angul Aluminium Park, a joint venture promoted by NALCO & IDCO, for downstream and ancillary industries in the aluminium sector.
Besides, Dr. Chand also informed regarding overseas acquisition, exploration & processing of strategic minerals through Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL), a joint venture company of NALCO, HCL & MECL. Worth mentioning the company is exploring collaboration for strategic minerals like Lithium assets abroad to help Indian companies including NALCO to manufacture Lithium Ion batteries.
“With Electric Vehicles coming up in big way in near future, Lithium Ion batteries has a huge business potential and Odisha would be hugely benefited to be amongst few destinations having lithium Ion plants”, Dr. Chand added, hinting that the NALCO’s Lithium Ion battery Plant may come up in Odisha.
It may be mentioned that the Indian mining industries are participating in this convention under the India Pavilion, which was inaugurated earlier by the Secretary, Mines, Shri Mukim. NALCO as the nodal agency of Govt of India & CPSUs to showcase India’s mining power.